Transcription

2 How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get Married? Child Marriage in Yemen

3 Copyright 2011 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website:

4 DECEMBER 2011 ISBN: How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get Married? Child Marriage in Yemen Summary... 1 Key Recommendations... 5 Methodology... 6 I. Background... 7 The Status of Women and Girls... 9 Women s Political and Economic Participation Violence against Women and Girls Literacy and Access to Education II. Child Marriage and Government Failure to Protect Girls and Women Child Marriage Around the World Child Marriage in Yemen Government Failure to Protect Children from Child Marriage Minimum Age for Marriage and Current Legal Developments Birth and Marriage Registrations Definition of a Child III. Child Marriage: A Violation of Girls and Women s Rights Full and Free Consent to Marriage Sexual and Reproductive Health, Maternal and Child Mortality Sexual Violence, Domestic Abuse, and Abandonment Other Physical and Psychological Health Consequences Access to Education IV. International Legal Obligations on Child Marriage Child Marriage as Harmful and Discriminatory The Right to Full and Free Consent into Marriage The Right to Choose a Spouse Establishing a Consistent Definition of a Child The Obligation to Set a Minimum Age for Marriage and Enforce Registration The Right of Children to Express Their Views Freely The Right to Non-Discrimination... 43

5 The Right to Health and Access to Health Information The Right to Education The Right to be Free from Physical, Mental, and Sexual Violence V. Recommendations To the Parliament of Yemen To the Ministry of Religious Endowments To the Ministry of Health The Ministry of Education To the Ministry of Justice To the Ministry of Interior To Civil Society Organizations To International Donors Acknowledgements... 52

6 Summary Fourteen-year-old Reem, from Sanaa, was 11 years old when her father married her to her cousin, a man almost 21 years her senior. One day, Reem s father dressed her in a niqab (the Islamic veil that covers the face, exposing only the eyes), and took her by car to Radda, 150 kilometers southeast of Sanaa, to meet her soon-to-be husband. Against Reem s will, a quick religious marriage ensued. Three days after she was married, her husband raped her. Reem attempted suicide by cutting her wrists with a razor. Her husband took her back to her father in Sanaa, and Reem then ran away to her mother (her parents are divorced). Reem s mother escorted her to court in an attempt to get a divorce. The judge told her, We don t divorce little girls. Reem replied, But how come you allow little girls to get married? The political turmoil that has swept Yemen since early 2011 has overshadowed the plight of child brides such as Reem, as thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh s 33-year rule, and security forces responded with excessive and deadly force. But, while the focus of attention both inside and outside of Yemen is understandably the political future of the country, following President Saleh s agreement in November to cede power before elections in February, child marriages and other discrimination against women and girls in Yemen continue unabated. And while the president s resignation topped the list of most protestors demand, many young demonstrators especially are calling for a wide range of reforms, including measures to guarantee equality between women and men, and an end to child marriage. The world took notice of these gender-related abuses when Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni woman activist, was in October named a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Karman has spearheaded the anti-saleh protests, and she also is a women s rights activist and a vocal proponent of setting a minimum age for child marriage. Honoring Karman serves as a reminder that respect for women s rights must not be ignored, including the rights of girls and women to be free from child and forced marriages and other forms of discrimination. Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, is beset by high unemployment, widespread corruption and rampant human rights abuses. These abuses include child marriages, which are widespread. According to a nationally representative survey conducted by the Yemeni government and the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) in 2006, 14 percent of girls in Yemen are married before reaching age 15, and 52 percent are married before 18. A 2005 study by Sanaa University noted that, in some rural areas, girls as young as eight are married. 1 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

7 In 1999 Yemen s parliament, citing religious grounds, abolished article 15 of Yemen s Personal Status Law, which set the minimum age for marriage for boys and girls at 15. Yemen currently has no minimum age for marriage. Boys or girls can be married at any age, but in practice it is girls who are most often married young, often to much older men. The only protection offered under article 15 of the Personal Status Law is the prohibition on sexual intercourse until girls reach puberty. However, as in the case of Reem and others documented by Human Rights Watch illustrates this prohibition in fact does not guarantee protection. Sometimes girls may be forced into sex and subjected to marital rape before puberty. The consequences of child marriage can be devastating and long lasting. Research on child marriage conducted by experts and organizations show that most girls who marry young are removed from school, cutting short the education and skills needed to provide for themselves and their families. Many become pregnant and have children soon after marriage. As girls with little education and power in their marriage, they have little chance of controlling how many children they have, or when they have them. This increases their risk of reproductive health problems. They are often confined to the home and not permitted to work outside. Their low social status makes them more vulnerable to abuse. Reproductive health studies show that young women face greater risks in pregnancy than older women, including life-threatening obstructed labor due to adolescents smaller pelvises. Yemen has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the region. The shortage of prenatal and postnatal healthcare services, especially in Yemen s rural areas, place girls and women s lives at risk. An overwhelming majority of Yemeni women still deliver at home, often without the assistance of a skilled birth attendant who could handle childbirth emergencies. Girls who marry young often have insufficient information on family planning or none at all. As young wives they find it difficult to assert themselves against older husbands to negotiate family planning. Child marriage can also expose young girls and women to gender-based violence, including domestic abuse and sexual violence. A 2002 official survey on domestic violence in Yemen showed that 17.3 percent of respondents had experienced sexual violence, 54 percent suffered physical abuse, and 50 percent verbal threats. Domestic abuse physical and emotional assault within the home often isolates girls from their family and friends, preventing them from developing a support network to help them address the abuse. In 2005 the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a multi-country study on domestic violence in different regions of the world that showed that women between 15 and 19 years old who are married run a greater risk of being exposed to sexual violence, including forced sex or marital rape. HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 2

8 A government study in collaboration with UNICEF on access to education for Yemeni girls shows that opportunities for education are restricted for many reasons. Many parents force girls to leave school when they reach puberty, or even earlier in rural areas where 80 percent of Yemen s population lives, to help with household and farm chores and because of a lack of female teachers and separate school infrastructure for girls. But parents also take girls out of school early to prepare them for marriage. Once married, very few girls continue or complete their education. Girls without a formal education have fewer opportunities to work and financially provide for themselves and their families. Yemen is unlikely to meet a number of its Millennium Development Goals, a set of objectives agreed to by most United Nations (UN) member states to alleviate poverty and promote development by The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) cites child marriage as a factor that contributes to Yemen s lack of progress in meeting at least two goals: gender equality and reduced maternal mortality. Yemen is party to a number of international treaties and conventions that explicitly prohibit child marriage and commit states parties to take measures to eliminate the practice. These include the Convention on the Rights of Child, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriage, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Many officials in Yemen s parliament agree that a ban on child marriage is fundamental to safeguarding the rights of young girls. However, a small but powerful group of conservative parliamentarians oppose setting a minimum age for marriage, arguing that doing so would lead to the spreading of immorality, undermine family values, and would be contrary to Sharia, Islamic law. In 2009 a majority of parliamentarians voted to set the minimum age for marriage at 17. However, the conservative opposition used a parliamentary procedure to stall the draft law indefinitely. The political crisis in Yemen has paralyzed parliamentary action on this and many other legislative reforms. However, the next government should not use the crisis as an excuse to further delay protecting girls from the institutionalised abuse of legal child marriages. Human Rights Watch calls on the Yemeni government to support women s and girls rights to non-discrimination to end child marriage. The government should adopt and enforce a law setting a minimum age for marriage. It should work to change the cultural acceptance of child marriage, and promote education for girls and women. It should also take measures to prevent and redress domestic and sexual violence, and ensure that women 3 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

9 and girls have access to adequate reproductive health services. International stakeholders should boost girls and women s access to education, to reproductive health information and services, and to protection from domestic violence. HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 4

10 Key Recommendations To the Government of Yemen Set the minimum age for marriage at 18 in accordance with the definition of a child in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Raise awareness with religious leaders about the harmful health consequences of child marriage on the lives of girls and women. Increase and improve access to reproductive health services and information for all girls and women, including access to emergency obstetric care and family planning. Develop retention strategies to ensure that girls who enroll in school are able to remain in school, such as financial incentives for families to keep girls in school and to subsidize the costs of uniforms and textbooks. Raise awareness about the obligation to register births and marriages through the media. To International Donors Advocate for programs that seek to address barriers to girls education, such as subsidies for school-related costs and the provision of safe transportation for girls to schools in rural communities. Fund programs offering services to victims of domestic abuse and especially services tailored for young abuse victims. Support capacity-building initiatives for personnel at the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Health on the registration all births, deaths, marriages, and divorce. 5 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

11 Methodology This report is based on field research conducted in Yemen s capital, Sanaa, between August and September 2010, as well as telephone interviews throughout In all, the researcher conducted 54 interviews. Thirty-one interviews were with girls and women who were married as children, under the age of eighteen. Out of concern for the women s and girls privacy and security, Human Rights Watch interviewed them only at the offices of local nongovernmental organizations and a healthcare clinic exclusively for women. The other interviews were with a health practitioner, a school principal, members of nongovernmental organizations, and staff members at the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Human Rights Watch has conducted a thorough review of literature on child marriage in Yemen and other countries that show similar negative consequences on the lives of girls and women. Due to security concerns relating to political instability in some regions of Yemen during the time of our research, our research was limited to the capital; however some of the women we interviewed were from Amran, Hudaida, and Hadhramawt governorates. Yemen has 21 governorates, and the majority of its population lives in rural areas. All interviews with girls and women were conducted in Arabic. We have changed the names and withheld other key identifying details of girls and women in order to protect their identities, with the exception of one girl, Reem Al-Numeri. Reem s marriage, which finally ended in divorce in 2010, has been frequently featured in international media. All participants consented to being interviewed after Human Rights Watch informed them of the purpose of the interview and the way in which their stories would be used and reported. Participants were informed that they could stop the interview at any time or decline to answer specific questions. Consent to interview girls under age 18 was granted by a parent, almost always the mother. In some of these interviews, the mother, a female family member, or a social worker was present during the interview. Those who travelled to meet with us were compensated for their travel expenses, but not for providing us with information. HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 6

12 I. Background Yemen is a country of more than 23 million people on the Arabian Peninsula. The World Bank estimated Yemen s annual per capita gross domestic product at US$1,060 in In 2011, Yemen ranked 154th out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Program. 2 More than three quarters of Yemen s population live in rural areas. The majority of Yemenis are Sunni Muslims, living mostly in southern and central Yemen, but Zaidis (a branch of Shi a Islam) make up a large minority living mostly in the north. Islam is the state religion. 3 There are also small communities of Yemeni Baha is, Christians, and Jews. 4 Politically and socially conservative North Yemen and Marxist South Yemen were divided prior to 1990, at which point they formally unified. President Ali Abdullah Saleh came to power in North Yemen in 1978, and continued as president of the Republic of Yemen after unification. 5 Saleh is one of the world s longest-ruling leaders. A civil war that broke out between forces of the former north and south from May to July 1994 ended with the victory of the north. Despite the turmoil, the development of democratic institutions, civil society, and the rule of law continued in the 1990s. 6 Yemen adopted a new constitution following unification. The 1991 constitution recognized that citizens are equal in public rights and duties, and prohibited discrimination between them based on sex, color, ethnic origin, language, occupation, social status, or religion. 7 Further changes were made to the constitution after the 1994 war. Sharia became the source of all legislation, not just a main source as before. 8 While article 40 of Yemen s 1 World Bank, "Yemen, undated, (accessed April 11, 2011). 2 UNDP, Human Development Report 2011, Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All, 2011, (accessed November 4, 2011), p Constitution of Yemen, September 29, 1994, (accessed October 25, 2010), art US Department of State, 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom-Yemen, October 20, 2009, (accessed October 25, 2010). 5 Human Rights Watch/Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights in Yemen During and After the 1994 War, vol. 6, no. 1, October 1994, p Human Rights Watch, Yemen: In the Name of Unity: The Yemeni Government s Brutal Response to Southern Movement Protests, December 2009, p Constitution of Yemen, May 16, 1991, (accessed October 25, 2010), art HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

13 Constitution still provides for equal rights between men and women, article 31 undermines this premise. Article 31 reads: Women are the sisters of men. They have rights and duties, which are guaranteed and assigned by Sharia and stipulated by law. 9 Since 2007, southern separatists have conducted sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations to protest against their treatment at the hands of the northern-dominated central government. 10 The separatist movement continues to protest the lack of employment opportunities, corruption, and inequitable shares of oil revenues for southern provinces. It has demanded secession and the restoration of an independent southern Yemeni state. 11 In the north, a truce in February 2010 ended most of the armed conflict that had raged in the governorate of Sa da, along Saudi Arabia s border, since A group known as the Huthis, named after the leader of the initial rebellion, Husain al-huthi, has fought Yemeni government forces and pro-government tribal fighters. 12 Occasional skirmishes have continued. 13 In January 2011, inspired by pro-democracy demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt, and other countries in the region, Yemenis began protests demanding President Saleh s resignation after 33 years in power. Starting in February, state security forces and armed plainclothes assailants, often acting in concert, responded to the largely peaceful protests with excessive and deadly force, killing at least 250 demonstrators and bystanders, and wounding thousands. Women played an important role in anti-saleh protests, despite beatings, harassment, and, in some cases, the condemnation of relatives. President Saleh in April 2011 admonished women demonstrators, saying divine law does not allow public intermingling of the sexes. 14 Women responded with further protests. In October 2011, Tawakkol Karman, a 8 Note on the amended constitution, 1994, Yemen Gateway, (accessed November 11, 2010). 9 Constitution of Yemen, September 29, 1994, (accessed October 25, 2010), arts.31 and Human Rights Watch, Yemen: In the Name of Unity, p Ibid., p Human Rights Watch, Yemen: All Quiet on the Northern Front?: Uninvestigated Laws of War Violations in Yemen s War with Huthi Rebels, April 2010, p Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Yemen: Conflict in various parts of the country continues to displace, August 12, 2011, (accessed November 4, 2011). 14 Women Irate at Remarks of President of Yemen, New York Times, April 16, 2011, (accessed November 2, 2011). HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 8

14 prominent woman journalist and human rights activist who has played a pivotal role in the protests, won the Nobel Peace Prize along with two women leaders from Liberia. In recent years, Karman has defied conservatives in her political party Islah, or the Islamists Congregation for Reform, by calling for a minimum age for child marriage. In November 2011 Saleh signed a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brokered agreement to cede power to vice president Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Under the accord, Saleh was to relinquish all power before early elections, scheduled for February The Status of Women and Girls Yemen is a largely traditional clan-based society where patriarchal attitudes still prevail. Conservative social attitudes toward women and girls are reflected in legal discrimination. Article 40 of Yemen s Personal Status Law states that a woman must obey her husband in all matters, including not leaving home without his permission and keeping up with domestic chores. 15 Article 152 notes that a woman may lose her right to maintenance if her husband divorces her for the following reasons: if she refuses to move into the marital home without a legitimate reason, if she leaves the marital home without a legitimate reason, if she works outside the home without previously requesting her husband s permission, and if she refuses to travel with him without a legitimate reason. 16 The provisions in Yemen s Personal Status Law on marriage and divorce create particular hardships for women and girls. According to article 12, a man may marry up to four women provided that he is able to treat and financially provide for his wives equally, that the wife has knowledge of other marriages, and that the husband notifies his wife or wives that he will take another wife. 17 A man may divorce his wife by pronouncing his repudiation three times. 18 A woman may ask for separation from her husband on certain conditions, for example if the husband fails to provide financially for his family even though he is capable of doing so; if he abandons his wife for more than one year with no compensation, or for more than two years with compensation; if he is imprisoned for more than three years; or if he marries more than one woman and is unable to provide financially for his wives. 19 The 15 Personal Status Law (Qanun al Ahwal al Shakhsiyah), The Ministry of Legal Affairs, No.20, 1992, art Ibid., art Ibid., art Ibid., art Ibid., arts HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

15 wife must provide proof of these allegations before being granted a divorce. A wife who wishes to divorce her husband for other reasons may file for khul a, or no-fault divorce, under which she is required to pay back her dowry and forego claims to maintenance. 20 Given women s economic dependence on their husbands, this requirement makes it difficult for women to seek and obtain a divorce. 21 Women s Political and Economic Participation Women in South Yemen won the right to vote and stand for election in 1970, while women in North Yemen only won this right in In 2006, 42 percent of registered voters were women, but only a small number ran for or held office. 23 Since unification, women have held no more than two out of the 301 seats in Yemen s House of Representatives, or parliament. Only two women have been appointed to Yemen s Consultative Council, the upper house of parliament, since its establishment in Women s representation in local councils was 0.5 percent in Women aged 15 to 64 make up only 20 percent of the workforce, according to 2009 World Bank figures. 26 According to a 2005/2006 Yemeni government survey, the most recent data available, 35.6 percent of women work in the agricultural sector, and women make up 15.5 percent of workers in the education sector. 27 However, more than 70 per cent of women s 20 Ibid., arts. 72and Freedom House, Women s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, Country Reports, Yemen, 2010, (accessed October 25, 2010), p Ibid., p Yemen: More Women Voters, but Fewer Women Candidates, IRINnews, September 19, 2006, (accessed October 25, 2010). See also, UNDP, Electoral Support Project for the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum of Yemen in Preparation for the 2006 Presidential, Governorate and Local Council Elections, 2006, (accessed April 11, 2011), p Freedom House, Women s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, Country Reports, Yemen, p. 19. See also, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Yemen Majlis Alshoora (Consultative Council), (accessed August 17, 2011). 25 UNDP, Electoral Support Project for the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum of Yemen in Preparation for the 2006 Presidential, Governorate and Local Council Elections, p World Bank, Yemen (accessed April 11, 2011). In 2000, female labor force participation was 18.1 percent, and in 2005 it increased slightly to 21.3 percent. In 2008 the total female labor force participation had remained stagnant at 21.7 percent. During the same years in 2000, 2005, and 2008, the total labor force participation for men was 67.7 percent, 66 percent, and 65.9 percent respectively, slightly decreasing per year. United Nations Statistics Division, Yemen, undated, (accessed November 10, 2010). 27 Government of Yemen, Central Statistical Organization, Yearbook Force.xls (accessed April 11, 2011), p HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 10

16 work in agriculture is conducted as unpaid family labor. 28 The agricultural sector accounts for percent of the gross domestic product. 29 A 2003 Yemeni family health survey showed that one-third of the women surveyed about entering the labor force made a joint decision with their husbands to work, 16 percent said it was their own decision, and 44 percent said it was their husband s decision. 30 A survey conducted in 2000 by the Social Development Fund and the World Bank on small and medium enterprises in Yemen showed that only 3 percent of such businesses were owned by women. 31 Out of 5,238 households surveyed, 31 percent of women worked in beauty care; 30percent in the education field; 10 percent in the textile industry, and 7percent in healthcare. 32 Violence against Women and Girls Women and girls in Yemen experience gender-based violence, in particular domestic abuse, sexual violence and harassment, and female genital mutilation. 33 A 2002 survey of 120 women living in Sanaa found that 46percent of women in the sample experienced physical abuse while 13.3 percent reported that they had been sexually harassed. 34 More than 28 percent of respondents said that their husbands had confined them in their homes at some point in their life. 35 Additionally, 74 percent of the women surveyed also experienced verbal abuse by their husbands. 36 A 2003 government survey on violence against women in urban and rural areas, which covered more than 13,000 households, found that 59 percent of rural women and 71 percent of women living in urban areas said they were physically beaten by their husbands because of family problems. 28 Government of Yemen, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Millennium Development Goals, Needs Assessment, Yemen Country Report, September 2005, (accessed April 11, 2011), p Government of Yemen, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Millennium Development Goals Assessment Report, Yemen Country Report, 2005, p Government of Yemen, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Family Health Survey, 2003, (accessed April 11, 2011), p International Finance Corporation, Gender Entrepreneurship Markets Country Brief: Yemen, 2006, (accessed November 11, 2010), p Ibid., p United Nations, Country Assessment on Violence against Women: Case of Yemen, August 2010, pdf (accessed April 11, 2011), p Mohamed BA-Obaid, Catrien C-J-H Bijleveld, Violence Against Women in Yemen: Official Statistics and Exploratory Survey, International Review of Victimology, 2002, vol. 9, pp Ibid. 36 Ibid. The study was based on a sample study of 120 girls and women between the ages of 15 and HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

17 Eleven percent of rural women and 6 percent of urban women said they were beaten for not obeying their husbands, 23 percent of rural and 16 percent of urban women were beaten by their husbands for no reason, and 7 percent of women in both categories said they were beaten for reasons other than those listed above. 37 According to a report submitted by Yemeni NGOs to the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) committee the UN expert group that monitors implementation of CEDAW) in 2007, domestic violence in cases related to honor is [a] concealed phenomenon in Yemen. 38 The report noted that families handled such cases internally and little information reached police stations. 39 The murder of women by family members was often not officially reported or was recorded as natural deaths. 40 In rural areas, a death certificate citing the cause of death is not always necessary for burial. 41 The prevalence of female genital mutilation is much higher in the coastal and southern regions (with the exception of Aden) of Yemen than in other areas. A national survey conducted by the Yemeni government in 2003 found that 33.1 percent of girls and women between 15 and 49 in urban areas, and 40.7 percent in rural areas had their genitalia cut, mostly in their first few months of life. 42 Literacy and Access to Education Yemen has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the Middle East and North Africa. A survey commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that as of 2007, the adult literacy rate for Yemenis aged 15 and over was 59 percent: 77 percent for males and 40 percent for females. There was a gap of over 30 percent between Yemen s literacy rate and that of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, where the literacy rates were 85 percent, 90 percent, and 84 percent, respectively. 43 The youth literacy rate for those between 15 and 24 was significantly higher 37 Government of Yemen, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Family Health Survey, pp Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights, Yemeni NGOs 2nd Shadow Report on Implementation of the Convention of Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), June 2007, (accessed February 15, 2011), p Ibid., p Ibid. 41 Ibid. 42 Government of Yemen, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Family Health Survey, pp UNESCO, Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Reaching the Marginalized, 2010, (accessed February 15, 2011), p The estimates are HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 12

18 than the adult literacy rate, estimated at 80 percent. But the gap between the literacy rates for male youths aged 15 to 24 and for female youths in the same age bracket remained wide (93 percent for the former and 67 percent for the latter). 44 The improvement in literacy rates for youths may be due to the fact that in 2001 education in Yemen became compulsory for both boys and girls between the ages of six and fifteen. 45 But despite this progress, approximately 900,000 primary school age children were out of school in Almost 70 percent of these were girls, and 88 percent of them lived in rural areas. 46 According to UNESCO s 2010 global monitoring report on education, the net primary school enrollment rate for boys in 2005was 85 percent, but only 65 percent for girls. 47 The discrepancies between the enrollment rates of girls and boys widens in secondary grades. 48 Numerous explanations have been put forward for the wide gap in enrolment rates for boys and girls. Some families withdraw girls from school to marry, to help with household chores, or to care for smaller children. Additionally, many families in rural areas insist on having separate classrooms for boys and girls, and female teachers for girls, in order to keep their girls in school. Some families in rural areas wish for their girls to remain in school after they reach puberty so long as female teachers are available to teach them. Many families feel that having female teachers will ensure that girls have a safe environment, and also value female teachers as a role model since teaching is a respected profession. 49 The ratio of female to male teachers in elementary education is 12: 100 in rural areas. In secondary schools, the ratio is 8-11 females to 100 male teachers. 50 UNICEF has also found that girls education is impeded by families lack of awareness about the importance of education, especially for girls. 51 based on the most recent data available for each country between the period between 2001 and The gap in literacy rates between males and females in these three countries is also smaller, 12 percentage points in Saudi Arabia, 10 percentage points in Oman, and in the UAE, women led men in literacy rate by 2 percentage points. Ibid., p Ibid., p UNESCO, International Bureau of Education, Yemen, Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes, 2006, (accessed November 11, 2010), p UNESCO, Education For All Global Monitoring Report: Reaching the Marginalized, p Ibid., p The net secondary school enrolment rate in 2005 for children between 12 and 17 was 48 percent for boys, and 26 percent for girls. Ibid., p Yemen Ministry of Education, UNICEF, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), The Learning Conditions for Girls in Yemen: Advancing Girls Education for the Attainment of Equal Opportunities (Sanaa: Ibn al Yemen Press, August 2005), pp. 76 and Ibid., pp. 74, 75, 111 and UNICEF Division of Policy and Planning, Accelerating Girls Education in Yemen: Rethinking Policies in Teacher Recruitment and School Distribution, February 2007, (accessed October 5, 2010), pp.5-6. See also, CEDAW Committee, Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention 13 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

19 A school principal from Hudaida told Human Rights Watch: Most girls are taken out of school after fourth or fifth grade [around nine or ten years], just when they become adolescents and begin puberty. The girls return to the home, they cook, fetch water and wood, or are married off if there is an opportunity. 52 Kawkab, who cut short her secondary education when she was married, told Human Rights Watch: I used to like school, especially English. I wanted to teach English, but my family made me enter the house and the kitchen. 53 Twenty-one-year-old Arwa finished elementary school, but her family did not allow her to go to secondary school. Instead, she cared for her younger siblings. She said: I used to like going to school...i was sad when my mother forced me to leave. I wanted to be a doctor. 54 Some parents regard girls education as a waste of time and money, believing that a girl s place and future is in the home. In 2006, the Ministry of Education abolished the annual school fee for primary education of 640 riyals (approximately US$3) to encourage more girls to enroll in school, especially in rural areas. 55 Other fees for mandatory uniforms and school activities still exist, impacting girls access to education. 56 Ahmad Ayadil, a school principal, remarked, Girls are intelligent and more receptive to education [than boys], but they re not given a chance. 57 on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Yemen, March 13, 2007, CEDAW/C/YEM/6, p Human Rights Watch interview with Ahmad Ayadil, school principal, Sanaa, August 29, Human Rights Watch interview with Kawkab M., Sanaa, September 2, Human Rights Watch interview with Arwa K., Sanaa, September 2, UNESCO, Education for All Global Monitory Report 2008, Regional Overview: Arab States, (accessed May 24, 2011), p. 8. See also, Yemen: Government Waives Girls Tuition Fees to Boost Female Enrolment, IRINnews, May 7, (accessed May 24, 2011). 56 Global Campaign for Education, RESULTS Education Fund, Make It Right, Ending the Crisis in Girls Education, 2011, (accessed November 11, 2011), p Human Rights Watch interview with Ahmad Ayadil, August 29, HOW COME YOU ALLOW LITTLE GIRLS TO GET MARRIED? 14

20 II. Child Marriage and Government Failure to Protect Girls and Women Child Marriage Around the World Worldwide, more than 51 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are married. This figure is based on demographic health surveys conducted in various countries around the world that document marriages of persons above 15 years. The total figure for child marriage is certainly higher because these official statistics do not survey married girls who are under The Population Council, an international organization that conducts research on HIV/AIDS, gender, and poverty and youth in order to improve reproductive health services, noted that according to the 2006 Demographic Health Surveys, one in seven girls worldwide would marry before her 15th birthday. 59 The majority of these young girls live in parts of sub-saharan Africa and South Asia, often in places characterized by persistent poverty and low levels of economic development. 60 Child marriage is especially common in countries where the majority of the population live on less than US$2 per day, and in countries with a low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. 61 Research conducted by international organizations found that child marriage was also common in societies in which families premised their honor on daughters virginity before marriage, leading to early marriages of daughters to prevent premarital sex. 62 Child Marriage in Yemen Child marriage is a common practice in Yemen in both rural and urban areas. Girls may be married as early as 12 or 13, especially if the girl is wedded to a close relative. In rural areas, such as Hadhramawt and Hudaida, girls may be married as young as eight, and in 58 International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Health, and Rights of Young Married Girls, 2003, Girls.pdf (accessed October 5, 2010), p Population Council, Programs to Address Child Marriage: Framing the Problem, Transition to Adulthood, Brief No. 14, updated January 2008, (accessed January 19, 2011), p UNICEF, Early Marriage, A Harmful Traditional Practice, A Statistical Exploration, 2005, (accessed November 11, 2011), pp Ibid. pp UNICEF Innocenti Digest, Early Marriage Child Spouses, No. 7, March 2001, (accessed October 5, 2010), p. 6. See also, ICRW, Too Young to Wed, p HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH DECEMBER 2011

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